


down for the count

by ymorton



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: M/M, Recreational Drug Use, Rimming, Size Kink, Spitroasting, Threesome - M/M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-03
Updated: 2015-04-03
Packaged: 2018-03-21 00:45:13
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 15,592
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3671217
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ymorton/pseuds/ymorton
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>niall in melbourne with his bros doing bro stuff like gettin fucked</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> honestly this was just supposed to be a one-part porn and then i had feelings about an omc and about niall my anxious rabbit son being held down and pounded sooooo 
> 
> the last chapter was written before zayn quit one direction but after he'd taken his "stress break" so it's a lil outdated ! SOZ. didn't feel like changing it. this all takes place like february 2015 - end of march 2015 
> 
> come chat on tumblr if ya like it's ihavea1dbloghelp 
> 
> also any other tidbits are housed in my [omc tag](ihavea1dbloghelp.tumblr.com/tagged/omc)

"Look who came down!" Deo crows, shoving himself out of his beach lounger, and Niall looks up to see Cooper and Jack and a few blokes he doesn’t recognize, all in flip-flops and Wayfarers with stoned grins on their faces. Niall pops up to his feet, grinning right back. He fucking loves these idiots, and it’s been ages since he got down to Australia to see any of them.

"Mates!" he calls. "Nice t’see ya!"

"There he is," Jack says, bumping Niall’s fist and then scooping him up into a bone-crushing hug. "Missed this little Irish fucker."

Niall laughs, toes dragging on the floor as Jack lifts him. “Missed you too, bro.”

"Coop’s been pining," Jack laughs, nodding at his brother. "Haven’t ya, Coop."

"Oh yeah," Cooper says gamely. "Crying myself to sleep."

"Good," Niall says, reaching up to pat Cooper on the back. It’s a bit weird, like, that he’ll let Jack pick him up like a sack of potatoes but he won’t throw himself at Cooper the same way. Makes sense, maybe, since he and Coop have fucked and he and Jack haven’t. But still. Shit, Niall hopes this won’t be awkward.

"You been good, kid?" Jack says, as he steals Deo’s beer, taking a gulp and belching.

"Good, yeah," Niall answers.

"That’s good," Cooper says, and when Niall looks at him his face is utterly blank beneath his sunglasses.

"Hey, this is Deo and Niall," Jack says, to the two blokes behind him. "And this is Liam-"

One of the boys waves.

”- and Ryan.”

The other nods at them.

"They’re from the footy team," Jack says, draining Deo’s beer. Deo punches his arm and jogs enough to fetch another. "Red Devils, baby!"

"Oi oi!" the four of them chorus, and Niall laughs hysterically. Fuckin’ Australia.

"Nice, nice."

"You got a beer, Horan?" Cooper asks, scratching at his eyebrow and yawning like he couldn’t care less.

Niall holds up his empty hands. “Not yet.”

"Lemme," Cooper says, and takes off. Jack gives Niall a long look, lifting his sunglasses. He’s sunburned under his eyes, dark brown just like his brother’s.

"Tell me you got a hotel room, bro. I’m not listening to you two fuck all night like last year."

Niall grins, throwing his arms around Jack’s neck again, smacking a kiss on his cheek. “I got a room. Won’t bother you. Unless you like that, fuckin’ pervert.”

"Wrong twin!" Jack laughs, shoving Niall off. "Harassment!"

"Ah, fuck off, mate."

"You fuck off. Why the fuck are you wearing clothes? Water polo in five, boys?"

Ryan and Liam nod, and Jack strips off his shirt, tosses it aside and jumps into the pool.

Niall laughs, peering across the pool where Cooper’s standing at the bar, digging cash out of the pocket of his shorts, just as broad-shouldered and massive as Niall remembers. Maybe they’ll fuck around again. Why the fuck not? Niall’s got a week and a half til tour and a massive fuck-off suite at this hotel, top floor, two posh rooms, big soft king bed. Maybe they’ll break it in. If he’s up for it.

Niall grins at the thought, tugging his trackies down and stripping off his vest, shivering at sunlight on his bare skin, tugging at his swim shorts. He’s white as a ghost from a London winter, but who gives a fuck. He’s here now. 

—-

When it’s gotten dark, they gather around one of the posh outdoor fireplaces, beer bottles in hand, towels around their necks. Cooper sits next to Niall without asking, thigh nudging against his. But that could just be on accident. He’s got big thighs. They nudge things they don’t mean to, maybe, cos they’re so big. Doesn’t mean he wants to-

Cooper laughs at something stupid his brother’s said, sets his hand on Niall’s bare knee and squeezes, and Niall tries and fails to suppress a shiver.

Oh. Alright then. Niall leans back in his seat, takes a deep gulp of his beer. Cooper’s hand slides up Niall’s leg, fitting comfortably around his skinny thigh. He squeezes again.

Niall waits til everyone’s distracted, laughing at something, before he leans forward to grab another beer and says in Cooper’s ear, “I got a room here. Wanna see it after?”

"Yeah," Cooper says, low, not looking at him. Niall can catch the curve of a grin on his face, though, flickering in firelight.

"Nice," Niall says happily, and he sits back in his seat.

—-

"Jesus," Cooper grunts, an hour later. "You’re tighter than I remember."

Niall’s sat in his lap, at the edge of the hotel bed, fucking down onto two of Cooper’s thick fingers. He’s half-drunk and it’s been a fucking eternity since he last had this. His head’s spinning. He feels tiny next to Cooper, and it turns him on in a primal weird way, makes him want to curl up at Coop’s feet. He’s not _gonna_. It just, like, crosses his mind. 

"Been, like, a while," he says, breathlessly, knees slipping on the sheets as he tries to keep his balance with two fingers up his arse. Cooper steadies him with a hand on his hip.

"Yeah? How long?"

Niall thinks back. He hooked up with a guy over Christmas, some hipster in London Harry knows through Nick. Skinny bloke, big glasses, big cock. They didn’t fuck, though, just sucked each other off in a bar toilet and didn’t go home together.

So that makes it-

"Liiike," Niall says, twitching when the rough pads of Cooper’s fingertips brush against his prostate. He can feel lube dripping slowly down the inside of his thigh. "Uh. S-seven months, maybe?"

"Mm," Coop mumbles, running his free hand down Niall’s side. "Makes sense. Bear down a little on ‘em, baby. Open up. Barely in there at all."

Niall puts his face against Cooper’s neck. _Baby_. He exhales slowly, sinks his hips down until he can feel the ridge of Cooper’s knuckles against his hole, stretching him wide.

Cooper twists his fingers, and Niall groans, legs splaying, nearly slipping off his lap.

"Hooly shit."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. Fuck."

Coop’s fucking his prostate now, with the tips of his fingers, rubbing in a steady rhythm. Niall grunts, bites his neck.

"Mate- _shit_.”

"You good?"

"Fuck me, bro, honestly. I’ll come on your fuckin’ fingers if you keep that up."

Cooper laughs, nudging at Niall’s head with his own until Niall looks up. He kisses Niall’s mouth, gently, tongue soft and hot against Niall’s.

"Maybe that’s what I want, eh," he says. "Loosen you up on my hand, get you all chilled out."

Niall’s breathing hard. “Want your dick.”

"You’ll get it, don’t worry," Cooper says, fingers moving faster. Niall can hear the wet sound of it, lube squelching. It’s fucking nasty and it’s hot. God, it’s been a long time.

"I- I can’t, like," Niall stutters, feeling the hot press of orgasm in the bottom of his stomach. He reaches down to jerk himself off, because he’s not that patient of a person. If Cooper wants him to come, he’ll come. "Shit. Shit-"

"Yeah, bro," Cooper murmurs. "Feels good, don’t it?"

Niall squirms against his hand, needing more. His dick’s so hard in his hand, pulsing. He can hear the sound of his breath, frantic and fast.

"Yeah-"

"Yeaah," Cooper says softly, hooking his fingers up, spreading them inside Niall until it burns deep in his stomach. "Get you nice and loose. You wanna take me tonight, Horan?"

"Fuck yeah," Niall grunts out, sweat trickling down the back of his neck. He likes this part, the porn part, saying exactly what he wants and knowing he’s gonna get it. "Yeah."

"So then come for me, baby," Cooper says, squeezing Niall’s hip in one hand, thrusting deep with two fingers. "Come on. Let it go, that’s it, that’s good-"

Niall whines when he comes, dick spurting into his hand, twitching when Cooper keeps finger-fucking him right through it.

"Mate," Niall begs, legs buckling, boneless. "Holy shit-"

"Just like seeing how deep I can get," Cooper mumbles, rubbing Niall’s lower back until he opens further, sinking down with a whimper. His dick’s still half-hard and painfully sensitive. "Fuck. You feel so tight at first but you can take a lot, can’tcha?"

Niall’s head lolls in pleasure, and he puts his face against Cooper’s shoulder. “Mate,” he mutters, shivering.

"Yeah." Cooper kisses his ear, roughly. "Yeah, feels better to be open, yeah?"

"Yeah," Niall murmurs. It doesn’t even sound like him. He’s sleepy, almost, except his body’s alert, wanting more. Already. He’s fucking greedy when he hasn’t had it for a while. 

Coop kisses the top of his head, tender, and takes his fingers out of Niall.

"No," Niall mutters, clenching hard, the air cool on his open hole. He wants- more. He wants it again. He’s not all the way out of his head yet.

"I know, bro," Cooper says, comfortingly. He stands up, Niall’s legs going around his waist, one hand cupped firmly under Niall’s bum. "I know. How d’you want it, baby? Wanna get on your hands and knees for me?"

Niall doesn’t want to decide. He tightens his legs around Cooper’s hips.

"How bout your back," Cooper says, laying him on the bed. "So I can get you hard again. Won’t take much, will it."

Niall shakes his head, propping himself up to watch Cooper mouth down his stomach.

He tips his head back when Cooper sucks the head of Niall’s dick into his mouth. His fingers clench at the sheets. It hurts like pins and needles, sharp, but it feels so fucking good. He can already feel himself filling out, so eager for it it’s like his body doesn’t wanna wait.

Cooper runs one of his hands down the inside of Niall’s thigh, gently pushes him open, mouth lowering, and then- fucking hell. His tongue’s inside Niall’s arse, where he’s already sensitive and slick. Niall fucking loves that. His eyes are closed and he doesn’t remember closing them. He can hear Cooper’s mouth, wet and sloppy. Feel his tongue and his lips. It’s been even longer since Niall last had this. He doesn’t ask for it, often.

He should. It feels goddamn incredible.

Cooper lifts his hips up, burying his face in Niall’s arse, nose pressing to his perineum, stubble rasping against the skin. Niall groans long and low.

"Fucking hell," he manages to say, reaching down til he can feel Cooper’s hair under his fingers. "Mate."

"Taste good," Cooper mumbles against his arse, tugging at Niall’s ankle til his leg’s slung over one broad shoulder. Niall’s wide open, and he can feel a flush spreading hot down his neck, his chest. Cooper noses at his balls, sucks one softly into his mouth until Niall moans.

"Jesus," he chokes out, pushing at Cooper’s sweat-damp forehead. "Holy fuck, c’mon. I’m- like. Fuck me, I’m good. I’m good."

Cooper lifts his head, panting. His eyes are glazed. He likes it too, putting his tongue up Niall’s arse. Weird.

"You’re good?"

"Yeaah," Niall laughs, kicking at him weakly. Cooper tugs at his ankle, wrapping his hand all the way around and then spreading his leg flat on the bed like it’s physio. Niall lets out a frantic sound when Cooper grabs his other leg, holds it down. He can’t move, ankles pinned, and his dick is hard from the restraint, pressing slick and red against his belly.

"Look at you," Cooper says, his face hungry, thumbs stroking over Niall’s ankle bones. "Forgot how, like, into getting fucked you are."

Niall goes red. He can feel his hair sticking damp to the back of his neck. His thigh muscles are quivering. 

"Like last year," Cooper says, taking one hand off Niall’s ankle to reach out and roll his palm against the sticky head of Niall’s prick. Niall squirms helplessly. "That night ‘fore you left, like. How many times did we do it?"

"Dunno," Niall says, though he does. It was three.

"So fucking good," Cooper murmurs, reaching for his cock again.

Niall closes his eyes, because Cooper’s thumbing over the tip, slowly. Rubbing him until Niall’s dick drools clear slick onto his hand, and Niall’s legs twitch.

"Wanna take me?" Cooper says, low in his throat.

Niall swallows hard. His throat’s dry. “Yeah.”

Cooper smiles at him, lifts Niall’s leg and kisses the inside of his ankle, before he pushes his thighs apart and fits himself between them. Niall watches him line up, watches the fat head of his dick rubbing against Niall’s hole, and then he can’t watch anymore cos he’s being fucked, and Cooper’s massive, and Niall’s fucking brain is melting.

\---

He wakes up the next morning with Cooper behind him, a big hand on Niall’s belly, breathing hot against the back of his neck. His dick’s hard, pressed against Niall’s lower back.

Niall closes his eyes, gives himself a second to grin stupidly, so wide his face hurts. He’s got a whole fucking ten days of this before he has to head up to Sydney for tour. Ten days of the kind of sex he likes, with someone who’s not gonna run off to tell the papers. No sneaking around - well, _some_ sneaking around, but no more than usual. Just an air-conditioned hotel room and room service and the cool of the pool and the hot Aussie sun.

He puts his hand around Cooper’s wrist, moves his palm down til his slack fingers are grazing Niall’s own morning wood. Coop wakes up halfway through, gets the message, wrapping his hand around Niall’s dick and thrusting forward against his back.

"Morning," he says, voice so low it makes Niall clench up helplessly, a kick of desire so hard and fast it almost hurts. He doesn’t understand the things he likes, sometimes. Don’t mean it don’t feel good, though.

"Morning," Niall says, arching his back just a little.

Cooper nuzzles the back of his neck, playing with the head of Niall’s dick at the same time, with two fingers. “You wanna fuck again?”

Thank fuck for Australia. Niall rolls out of Cooper’s grasp to reach the condoms on the bedside table. “Yeah.”

Cooper stretches lazily, bones cracking, and tugs Niall back towards him like he weighs nothing, fingers digging into his belly. “Nice.”

Niall laughs, settling back against Cooper’s body, his dick snugging up between Niall’s arse cheeks like it’s meant to be there. Yeah.  _Nice_.

\---

"You, uh, you ever fucked around with him?" Cooper says a week later, leaning over from his pool lounger to talk in Niall’s ear. Niall’s got a pint in one hand and his phone in the other, and he shivers a little, dripping beer onto his thigh.

"What?"

"Louis. Been flirting with him ever since he flew into town."

"I wasn’t," Niall says automatically. He sips his beer. That’s not flirting, what he and Louis do. They’re brothers. Sure, maybe Niall wanks off thinking about his brother, occasionally. Well, not his actual brother. Ugh.

Cooper huffs a laugh. “Alright, bro.”

"Louis’ straight. He’s got a girlfriend."

"S’not what I asked." Cooper leans in and puts his mouth on Niall’s neck, lips pressing below his ear. Niall shudders so hard his beer spills again. He gulps in a breath.

"Coop."

"He know about this?"

Niall doesn’t know if he means them, or - or Niall in general. The way Niall is.

He shakes his head, and Cooper kisses him again - that’s what it is, a kiss, light and dry. Niall looks at where Louis’ splashing in the pool, laughing as Deo dunks him.

"Coop, c’mon," Niall mutters. His voice’s gone all wobbly.

Cooper leans away, back on his own chair.

"Alright," he says. "Still want me to stay over tonight?"

"Yeah. Why wouldn’t I?"

"No reason." Cooper smiles at him behind his sunglasses.

"You’re not mad cos I- cos I, like- I mean. I’m not out." Niall swallows hard.

"Nah, bro. You know I'm alright with that."

Niall nods, kicking one knee up and looking back down at his phone.

"Alright."

"Alright, then."

\---

"Just- shift, like, yeaah," Cooper chokes out. He drives his hips in and Niall slides down to his elbows, knees trembling on the bed, arse up. He buries his face in the mattress.

"Alright, baby?"

"Yeah," Niall mutters, turning his face to the side so he can breathe. "Yeah, c’mon, fuck. Need it. Fuck me."

"Need it," Cooper repeats, sounding amused, turned-on. He works his hips slow and deep, puts his thumbs in the dimples at the base of Niall’s back. Niall grunts. "You need it."

"Shutup," Niall says, laughing breathlessly. "Fucking do it, c’mon. Been waiting."

Cooper laughs back, and slams his hips in, just as he smacks Niall on the arse with one hand. Niall whimpers against the mattress.

"You like that?" Cooper asks. "Feel good?"

Niall nods, and Cooper does it again, cos he’s accommodating like that. Niall clenches at the pain and then shivers when Cooper leans down over him, pressed warm along his back, his dick balls-deep inside Niall. Niall can feel it everywhere.

"Fuck," he chokes. "Fuck, hold- hold my arms."

"Like this?" Cooper asks bemusedly, pressing his hands against Niall’s wrists where they’re quivering on the bed from holding himself up.

"Fuck yeah," Niall says, rocking his hips forward, blind with the need to come. Cooper’s been inside him for a while, and it’s starting to hurt in a good way. Niall rode him first, and then got on his hands and knees, took him that way, until he fell onto his fucking face from the force of Cooper’s dick and the pleasure went all sharp and dirty. "Fuck yeah. Hold ‘em, pl- _please_.”

"Yeah, alright," Cooper mumbles, pressing down on Niall’s wrists and thrusting inside him. Niall chokes out a groan. "Oh, shit. You gonna come like this, baby?"

Niall nods into the mattress, head down. He opens his mouth against the sheets, tastes cotton. Bites down. His stomach’s quivering.

"That’s so good," Cooper says, low, lifting one of his hands to run it between Niall’s shoulderblades. Niall shudders hard, dick twitching. "Feel so fucking good, bro."

Niall needs a push, needs something. He swallows a mouthful of saliva and turns his head again, gulps in a breath.

"Hold- hold my head down," he mutters.

"Like-" Cooper puts a big hand on the back of his head, cupping his skull.

"Yeah, god," Niall moans, hands fisting in the sheets. Shit, he’s gonna come. He’ll come if Cooper just-

Cooper presses down, presses Niall’s face against the bed just as he hits his prostate with a deep thrust, and Niall spills over, moaning muffled and loud. It hurts to come like that, and he fumbles his free hand down to his dick, works himself through it, yanking it away when the feeling starts to go sharply oversensitive.

"Fuck," Cooper breathes, impressed.

"Go on," Niall mumbles, arching his back, loving the way it stings when Cooper keeps fucking him. "C’mon. Nut off in me, c’mon."

"Jesus," Cooper grunts, grabbing Niall’s shoulder for leverage as he thrusts once, twice, and comes hard. He collapses against Niall, pressing him bodily into the bed, and all the sensation at once makes Niall shiver down his spine. His hands are shaking.

"Fucking Christ, bro," Cooper says into his ear, loud, huffing out a hot breath.

Niall’s mouth curves up slowly. “Yeah.”

\---

He pads into the kitchen once Cooper’s passed out, fumbles for a glass in the cupboard. He’s half-drunk and completely fucked-out, legs wobbly, body buzzing. Second-to-last night of that feeling, unless he flies Cooper up to Sydney for the first leg of the tour or finds someone else.

It’s weird, how detached he can be. Makes sense, though, don’t it. It’s not like Cooper’s forever. Not like anything’s forever, at this point.

He’s filling his glass in the sink when he hears a cough, and he whirls around, water slopping over his hand.

Louis’ at the kitchen table, a mug of tea in front of him. He’s got his phone in one hand and he looks exhausted.

"Mate," Niall says, stomach curdling with fear. How long’s he been there? Jesus, he didn’t think Louis would be able to hear from his bedroom, but from the kitchen, well. It’s not exactly a stretch. 

Louis nods in greeting.

"You’re still up."

"Jetlag," Louis says. "Wide fucking awake."

He’s watching Niall carefully. Niall’s suddenly hyper-conscious of his naked legs in his pants, Cooper’s massive footy t-shirt, hemline stretched down over his collarbone. Niall tugs at the shirt, uncomfortably.

"Oh." Niall laughs. Takes a sip of his water. "That sucks."

"Yeah." Louis scrapes his chair back and comes into the kitchen. He’s in shorts and a t-shirt, too short on him, riding up over his flat stomach. He’s skinny lately, all whittled down. Niall drags his eyes away, and hops up onto the kitchen island, only wincing a little at the twinge in his arse.

"So," he says. "How was LA? We haven’t really-"

"I thought you weren’t doing that anymore," Louis says, cutting him off.

Niall swallows. “What?”

Louis rolls his eyes, leans against the counter opposite him. “Blokes.”

Niall’s face heats up. He fumbles for his water and takes a long sip.

"That’s what you said, last year," Louis says. "After I caught you with that roadie in, like, Florida or wherever. And yet. Here we are. You’re not exactly quiet, mate."

"Shut up," Niall says, cheeks burning. It was Texas, not Florida, and Louis didn’t catch Niall doing anything. Just saw the bloke leaving Niall’s room in the morning. Not as scandalous as he makes it sound. 

"Thought you were with some Australian bird. Singer or something."

"That’s not- that’s some stupid rumor." Niall forces a laugh. "What, you reading the tabloids now, Lou?"

Louis just stares at him.

"That’s what you’ve been doing down here?" he asks. "Shagging some rugby bloke?"

Niall doesn’t know how to proceed. It can always go two ways, with Louis. He can laugh it off, or he can get defensive.

Or he could be honest, but that way’s never really a real option. Not at this point.

"So interested in my sex life, Tommo," he says, making it light and easy. "Should I be worried?"

Louis’ eyes narrow. “Should _I_ be?”

Niall huffs a laugh. “Fuckin’ shut up, mate.”

"I’m serious," Louis says, stepping towards him. Niall scooches back on the counter, something flaring hot and panicky in his gut. Louis watches him move, eyebrow raising knowingly, like it was a tell.

"You ever think about us?" he asks. "When you’re, like, shagging around? Wouldn’t blame you, mate." He puts on a fake concerned voice. "All us lads in close quarters, you know."

"Louis, shut up," Niall says, sharply. "Not trying to fuck you just cos I like blokes. Don’t be an arse."

It’s half-true. Niall wants to fuck Louis for other reasons. God, he’s the fucking worst sometimes. 

"What about Harry, though, you were all over him last year," Louis says, and Niall looks at him, surprised. Louis never brings up Harry.

"Or Zayn," Louis says, smoothly, only a flicker in his eyes betraying his mistake. "He’s pretty."

"You want to fuck Zayn, Lou? That what’s going on on Bus 1?"

Louis laughs. “You bloody wish.”

"No," Niall says, laughing, sliding off the counter, desperate to break the tension. "I really don’t. I’m going to bed."

"Uh-uh, not so fast, Horan," Louis says, caging Niall back against the island, reaching out with one hand and groping for his nipple through the shirt. He’s grinning, mean and excited the way he looks in a lot of Niall’s jerk-off fantasies. Niall tries very hard not to think about those. 

"Lou-"

"Is that really what you like?" Louis asks, voice quiet, unreadable. Derisive, maybe. "I heard you, like. _Fuck me, c’mon. Hold my arms_. All that. Pretty bloody nasty.”

"St-stop," Niall stammers, face burning hot.

Louis’ rubbing over his nipple now, and it’s hardening up under his hand, easy for attention. Niall swallows thickly. If Louis keeps doing that other parts of him are going to get hard. And he really doesn’t want-

"You like," Louis says, his thumb going still. "To get held down and fucked?"

Niall goes dizzy.

"Lou," he mumbles. "Stop. It’s not funny."

"Not laughing, mate," Louis says, right before he dips in and kisses Niall’s half-open mouth.

Niall sinks back into the counter, eyes falling shut. Enjoys all four fucking seconds of it before Louis pulls away, reaches one hand down and gropes at Niall’s half-hard prick in his shorts, giving it a nice firm squeeze. Niall jerks away, toes curling on the cold tile.

"Mate," Louis says, laughing. "I knew it."

"Fuck off," Niall says, shoving at Louis’ shoulders hard. Louis barely stumbles, and he keeps laughing, so Niall laughs too, even though his throat hurts and he’s never felt less amused. Niall adjusts himself in his shorts. "You think that was for you? The fucking ego on you, bro."

Louis snorts, and leans against the fridge. “Nah, just think you’re a slag.”

"Takes one to know one," Niall jokes back, pushing past Louis’ arm. "I’m going to bed."

"Hey, Nialler."

Niall turns back.

"Keep it down if you go for a second round, will you?" Louis asks.

He grins.

Niall smirks back and turns away.

"Yeah," he says. "Try not to listen, ya fucking pervert."

"Can’t help it when you scream."

"Fuck off, mate."

"Night, babes," Louis calls, and Niall makes it to his bedroom, pulls the door shut behind him. He leans against it for a minute, until his pulse slows, and then climbs into bed. Cooper stirs, lifts his head.

"Mmgh?"

"Just me," Niall says, turning onto his back. For some reason he’s still flushed. Makes him squirm, thinking about Louis out there, drinking tea in the silent kitchen, listening to Niall come on a cock. He’s sick. He fucking knows. 

He lets out a shaky breath. Cooper’s asleep again, and the room is hushed and dark.

Niall shifts on his back, fiddles with the hem of his briefs, palms over his dick, thinks about Louis’ hand, warm and small and pressing down. Tries to fall asleep. 

 


	2. Chapter 2

"It’s cool if they come back with us, yeah?" Niall asks. He’s scrolling through his phone in the greenroom, a half hour before their first Melbourne show. Harry’s sipping hot water with lemon, Zayn’s asleep on the sofa, and Louis and Liam are doing weird stretches in the corner. Niall’s not sure how Liam talked Louis into it, but-

Louis shoves the back of Liam’s knee, and Liam falls over into a heap, yowling. Oh. He did it for sabotage. Of course. Niall huffs a laugh.

"Yeah, that sounds fun," Harry says, a little water dribbling down his chin. He wipes it off with his wrist. "I haven’t seen them in ages. Deo and them."

"Yeah, go for it, Nialler!" Liam calls, laughing. He’s got Louis slung over one shoulder and Louis’ beating his back with both fists.

"Sure, whatevs," Zayn mumbles. "We can smoke up."

"There’s a pool on the roof," Harry says, and Niall gives him a weird look. They’ve only been at this hotel for one night, and they all got in past midnight.

"What? I poked around last night. I met this really nice lady at the front desk, she showed me-"

"Ooh, a really nice lady!" Louis laughs, breathing hard as Liam sets him down, brushing himself off. "Where’d you shag her, Haz?"

Harry glares into his hot water. “Don’t assume that I-”

"Where’d you shag her, Harry," Niall says, kindly, reaching across to pat his hand. "You can tell us, it’s alright."

Harry lets out a long breath through his nose.

"Sauna," he says. "But fuck all of you."

Louis bounces over to give Niall a high-five, cackling.

"Sauna?" Liam asks. "That seems - hazardous. Slippery."

"Made it through," Harry says, lifting his mug in a toast.

The door swings open, and Lou pops her head in.

"Lads," she says. "Twenty minutes. Hazza, babe, can you come here for a minute? Need to fix your hair."

"What’s wrong with my hair?"

"Just come _here_ , Harold.”

Harry sighs, and scrapes his chair back from the table.

Louis smoothly slides into his seat, and Niall tenses up automatically. He stares hard down at his phone, at the text message he’s got from Deo. Louis’ staring at him meaningfully, but Niall’s not in the mood to indulge him, not this close to a show.

_Hotel after the show?? What’re ya thinkin lad ? We could go out too_

Niall types back - _Hotel yeah. Who else is comin ?_

"Niall," Louis says, impatient with his meaningful staring. "Who’s all - attending, tonight?"

"The show?" Niall screws up his face, thinking. "Uhh, capacity of Etihad is fifty grand, so-"

Louis huffs out an annoyed breath. Niall grins sweetly at him.

"I dunno, mate. Been texting Deo, we’ll see."

"Connor still in town?" Louis asks, very innocently. Niall peers over at where Zayn’s still sleeping and Liam’s doing press-ups.

"Cooper," he corrects. "And dunno."

"Cooper, whatever." Louis sits back in his seat.  "You should invite him. I’d be cool with that."

Niall tries his hardest not to roll his eyes.

"I’ve got some good bud, we can get fucked," Louis says, kicking at Niall’s ankles under the table. "Some of us more than others."

Niall looks at him. Louis’ grinning, eyebrows wiggling.

Niall pushes his chair back and drops his phone into his pocket. Goes over to Zayn on the sofa, shoving him aside to make room. Zayn grumbles but relents. He slips an arm around Niall’s shoulders.

"You good, babes?"

"Yeah, I’m good," Niall says, loud enough so Louis can hear. When he glances back, Louis’ looking at his phone with a sour expression on his face. Fantastic.

"Alright, lads," Liam calls, clapping like a PE teacher. "Everyone up, get excited. First night in Melbourne, let’s do it."

\---

The show’s good. Niall’s still buzzing an hour later, in the elevator on the way up to the roof, towel slung over one arm and a six-pack in hand.

He steps outside. It’s still warm out, and the pool’s glowing blue in the dim light. Niall grins to himself.

"Mate!" Liam says, opening the door behind him. "First out here!"

"Yeah," Niall says, letting Liam sling a thick arm around his shouldets and squeeze. "Where is everyone?"

"On their way, on their way," Liam says, pulling a bottle out of the six-pack in Niall’s hand. Niall looks back just as the door opens, and - oh. Yeah. Louis and Zayn, and then Harry with a dark-haired girl in a red bikini, and Eleanor and Sophia wearing sunglasses, weirdly, and a couple crew people. Deo’s at the back, and he yells when he sees Niall, wraps him in a hug like it’s been years since they’ve seen each other and not just a week. Niall sees Cooper over Deo’s shoulder, and catches eyes with him for a split second that makes him shiver.

"Mate, hey," he says, as Cooper pats his shoulder, all friendly-like. Jack’s right behind, and he smacks kisses on both Niall’s cheeks, scrubs a hand through his hair.

"Sick job, bro."

"You weren’t there, were you?"

Deo shakes his head. “But we heard the screaming.”

Niall laughs. “You lot staying with Deo tonight?”

"Figured Coop might sleep in your room," Jack says, laughing, squeezing his brother’s shoulder. "Or, y’know. Not sleep."

"Shut up," Cooper says, elbowing him.

"Yeah, shut up, Jack," Niall says. He wrestles a bottle out of his six-pack and offers it to Cooper. "You, uh, you want a beer?"

Cooper smiles at him, and takes it.

\---

The roof’s closed off, security at the door, so no one freaks out when Zayn pulls a cigarette box out of his pocket and takes out a few cheeky blunts, starts passing them around. Niall ends up in the hot tub with Deo, Cooper, Harry, Sophia, and some girl Niall doesn’t know who’s currently on Deo’s lap but keeps looking wistfully over at Harry. Niall takes a deep hit and passes it off to Sophia, who takes it delicately between her manicured fingers. Coop’s on his other side, their legs pressed together under the swirling water, and Niall knows he can’t get too reckless, not with this many people, but for now it feels good. It feels alright.

Harry’s talking some shit about the weather in LA, and normally Niall would be on hand to take the piss, but he’s too crossfaded and excited to do much. He sips his beer, nearly chokes when Cooper puts a hand on his leg underwater, squeezing his thigh. He looks over at him. Cooper’s nodding intently at whatever Harry’s saying.

Niall looks away, catches eyes with Deo, who raises one eyebrow and then looks pointedly at the girl on his lap.

Niall snorts. Gives him a nod.

"Hey," Deo says, and she turns to look at him. "I’ve got, like, this really good bottle of wine in my room."

Niall laughs out loud and then puts his face into Cooper’s shoulder to hide it. Cooper’s skin is warm and steamy and wet and he smells good, like chlorine and sweat. Niall wants to lick him, but he resists, pulls his head up dizzily. Shit, he’s smashed.

Cooper squeezes the back of his neck and leaves his hand there. “You good?”

"Fine," Niall says. "Just stoned."

"Same," Harry says, stretching out lazily as Deo and the girl clamber out of the tub, dripping everywhere.

Sophia smiles benevolently at all of them, reaching over to ash the joint on the ground. Her chest presses against the side of the tub, and Niall watches Harry watch.

"There you go, babe," she says, passing it over to Harry. "Gonna go find my boyfriend. Have fun."

"Have a good night, be safe," Harry says, in that weird gentlemanly way he gets with all girls even if he’s not fucking them. Niall leans back in the tub until the water’s up to his ears. Cooper’s still gently holding his neck, and it should feel obvious. Over the line. But Niall’s fucked up. It just feels good.

"So," Harry says, watching as Sophia steps into the pool, Liam swimming up to put his arms around her waist and pull her into the water. "Anyway."

"Anyway, you were saying something boring about LA," Niall says, and Cooper laughs, giving Niall’s neck a squeeze.

Harry pouts, and sits up, taking a gulp from a water bottle sat at the edge of the tub. Niall sits up too, reaching to pull at Cooper’s arm until it slips off his neck. Harry’s eyes went clear for a second there, and Harry can notice a lot when he’s not wanging on about his life.

Not that Harry would be bothered, probably, but Niall’s not in the mood for questions. He’s in the mood to get out of his head and have really good sex.

"Think I’ll fetch another beer," Niall says, pushing himself up in the water with his hands on the seat. "Anyone want anything?"

"I’ll take a beer," Cooper says. "Thanks, babe- uh. Niall."

Niall’s heart stops for a second and he laughs, uncomfortably. “You, Haz?”

"No, I’m good," Harry says. He sounds thoughtful.

Niall takes a while, sidetracked by Louis splashing him from the pool and Eleanor begging him for a drink. He stops to take a hit off the bowl Zayn’s packed, and sits in Sandy’s lap for a minute to get his clothes wet, and finally makes it back. Cooper and Harry aren’t talking - both of them just sitting there, staring pensively into the distance. It’s weird, to see the two of them together.

Niall splashes them both in the face as he gets back in, and hands the beer off to Cooper, who pulls him down with a hand on his knee, slides it up to his thigh once Niall’s settled. Niall likes when he does that. He likes the thrill of it, but he also likes how it feels familiar. Possessive, a bit. Like the way Liam puts his arms around Sophia’s waist, or pulls her down into his lap-

Niall shakes himself, taking a gulp of his beer, rests it against his pulse point to cool himself down.

"So you’re from Melbourne?" Harry asks politely, pulling his hair up into a bun and sliding an elastic onto it.

"Uhh, Yarrawonga originally," Cooper says. "Melbourne for uni and then I stuck around."

"Yarra-what?"

"Yarrawonga." Cooper laughs. "Cool name, really fucking boring place."

"Mm. Cool. Yar-ra-won-ga."

Niall puts the beer bottle against the other side of his neck, lets out a long breath. His face feels flushed.

"You hot, Nialler?" Harry asks, brow creasing in concern. "Shit, I bet you’re dehydrated. We were sweating on stage and now in the tub-"

"I’m fine, Haz, chill," Niall laughs. He sinks down and tips his head back against the tub.

"You’re like a mum," Cooper says to Harry, grinning. "It’s cute."

"Niall needs taking care of," Harry says seriously.

"Oh, I know." Cooper digs his fingers into Niall’s thigh, and Niall shudders so violently some water splashes over the side of the tub. He sits up, trying not to seem suspicious.

"I’m not - fuck both of you bastards," Niall says, trying to laugh. "I’m a grown man."

"Grown’s an overstatement," Cooper says, taking his hand off Niall’s leg and wiping sweat off his face, snorting.

Niall punches his arm. “Twat.”

Harry tips his head back to laugh, and Cooper takes the opportunity to press a short kiss to the side of Niall’s neck. His lips are wet.

"Lads!" Louis calls, climbing into the hot tub with Eleanor behind him. Niall yanks away from Cooper’s mouth. "Christ, what a sausagefest this is. Cooper, hands where I can see ‘em-"

Cooper lifts his hands, laughing gamely. Harry tenses up and slides down the bench towards Niall to make room, fidgeting with his bun.

"Sorry, he’s very _very_ drunk,” Eleanor says in an exaggerated whisper. Louis pulls her down onto his lap, laughing, and she giggles, tucking her head into his neck. Liam and Sophia follow behind, both with drinks in hand, and Harry shifts again, closer, hip pressing against Niall’s. He puts an arm around Niall’s shoulder. Normally Niall wouldn’t mind a Harry cuddle, but that’s not what he’s after tonight. Not when it’s so rare that he gets- the stuff he really wants.

"Think I’ll head to bed," Niall says, draining his beer. "I’m knocked out."

"Aww, Nialler, don’t go," Louis says, loudly.

"You should drink some water," Harry says softly, squeezing Niall’s shoulder. "Promise me."

"I will."

"Maybe I’ll go too, actually," Harry says. "I’m knackered."

Niall looks sideways at Cooper, and Cooper says, “Uh, me too. Go see what Deo’s up to.”

"Do I smell?" Louis asks, lifting his arm exaggeratedly to sniff his pits. "I mean, am I driving you away?"

"Shut up, Lou," Niall says, huffing out a laugh, splashing him as he clambers out of the tub, Harry in front of him, skin shiny in the moonlight.

"Have fun, boys," Sophia says, sounding bored. That’s just sort of how her voice sounds, though, so Niall doesn’t take much offense.

"Not too much fun," Louis calls, something pointed in his voice. "Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do."

Niall glances back at him, and Louis catches his eye, watches him steadily. Niall looks down.

\---

Harry’s room is two doors down from Niall’s, and he waves as Niall slips in his keycard. Cooper pulls the door open, nods Niall inside.

"Night!" Harry calls.

"Night, Haz!" Niall yells back, and Cooper shuts the door.

"That was kind of obvious," Niall says, dropping his towel on the ground. "But it’s just Haz. He’s, like-"

He’s cut off by Cooper pressing him against the door and kissing him.

Niall’s breathless for a second, and then he opens his mouth wide, snogs Cooper wet and hot, grunts when Cooper slides him up the door with his hands on Niall’s hips til their faces at at the same level. His toes are brushing the floor, and he feels tiny, and his heart’s pounding. Fuck, he loves this.

"You’re so fucking fit," Cooper gasps out against his mouth.

"Mmgh," Niall manages to respond, eloquently. Cooper presses a hand against the bulge of Niall’s dick in his swim shorts and Niall moans, grinds up into the warm heavy weight of Cooper’s palm.

"Wanted to, like, touch you," Cooper mutters. "In front of everyone."

Niall’s head knocks back against the door. He can hear himself breathing, loud and ragged.

"Have ‘em watch you get fucked." Cooper grins and kisses him. Niall kisses back, and then tips his head back, pants as Cooper snogs his neck, sloppy and wet.

"No- bites," Niall chokes, because they’re only a week into tour and he’s not interested in starting any rumors yet.

Cooper pushes him against the door by the shoulders.

"What about here?" he says, before he leans down and sets his teeth into the meat of Niall’s pec, right next to his nipple. Niall whimpers.

"That alright?" Cooper kisses the spot, grazes his mouth over Niall’s nipple. "Mmgh. No one’ll see it there."

"Yeah-" Niall chokes out. "Yeah. Yeah. That’s alright."

Cooper sucks another bite into his chest.

Niall fumbles to get his shorts off, groans when Cooper picks him up before he can finish, lifting Niall by the arse. Niall puts his legs around Cooper’s waist, his arms around his neck, and Cooper kisses him.

"How d’you want it?"

Niall can’t decide. He feels like a kid in a candy shop, overwhelmed by the choices. He gasps when Cooper shifts his grip, gets a firm grasp on Niall’s arsecheeks, digging in, pulling him apart.

"Baby."

"I- uh. Fuck. However, like, how you want, I dunno," Niall says. His cheeks go red, and Cooper laughs softly into his ear and gives him a kiss on the neck.

"More specific, please?"

"Like- just. Don’t ask me. Just do st-stuff." Niall can’t look at him. There’s a shameful burn spreading down his neck.

"Don’t ask?"

"Just do me how you want," Niall chokes out. Fuck, he’s so hard. It makes him so hard to ask for that.  

"Baby-"

"Coop." Niall pulls himself closer, abs twinging. Kisses Cooper on the mouth. "C’mon."

Cooper kisses him back.

"Face down, then," he says, and Niall shudders, nods, as Cooper dumps him onto the bed.

Niall crawls up the bed and turns over, groans when Cooper yanks his legs apart, runs his hands up the back of Niall’s thighs.

"Can you try and keep quiet?" Cooper asks, voice low. "So no one hears you?"

Niall presses his face into the bed and nods. He’s thinking about Louis, for some reason. Louis sitting in a silent kitchen and listening to Niall get fucked. It makes his cheeks burn and his dick hard.

"Good." Coop spreads his arse cheeks. "Can I- I mean. I’m gonna lick you out. Get you wet for me."

Niall nods again, and moans low into the mattress when Cooper leans down and breathes hot over his hole.

"Quiet," Cooper mumbles, rubbing Niall’s arse with both hands, pulling him apart, and Niall’s nodding again when there’s a knock on the door.

Niall startles, lifts his head. Cooper’s hands go slack on his arse.

"Was that your door?" he whispers.

Another knock. Definitely Niall’s door.

"Shit," Niall mutters, rolling off the bed, grabbing a towel and wrapping it around his waist. His dick pushes at the front of it, hard and unmistakeable, but- oh well. He’s not actually gonna let anyone in.

He peers through the hole in the door. It’s Harry.

Niall opens the door a crack. “What’s up?”

Harry smiles at him. He’s in a sheer white t-shirt and gym shorts and his hair’s starting to dry in curls.  ”Hey.”

"Hi. What’s up? I’m- sleeping."

Harry sighs. “Ohh. I thought you might- I dunno. I thought you might wanna smoke or something. I can’t get to sleep.”

"Go back up to the roof."

"Nahh. I feel, like, lowkey. You know? I took this from Zayn."

He holds up a joint, and grins.

"Haz," Niall says. "I’m like in bed."

"Is your friend in here? Yangawarra?"

"Yarrawonga. And his name’s Cooper."

"You know what I mean. Niaaaaaall. I’m bored."

"Mate-"

The door opens from behind him, and Niall nearly drops his towel. Cooper’s standing there, fully dressed in a tank and his swim shorts, smiling blandly.

"Come in, bro."

"Cheers, mate!" Harry says happily, pushing past Niall. Niall clenches his jaw, and shuts the hotel door. He ducks into the toilet, takes a look at himself. He’s flushed high on his cheeks, red all over. Two bruises blooming over his left nipple and his dick half-hard. A mess.

He lets out a long breath, and fumbles for a pair of briefs he’d left in the toilet earlier, shoves them on.

Harry and Cooper are on the balcony, passing a joint back and forth like best buddies. Niall opens the door slowly, shivering through the thin vest he’d put on to cover his marked-up chest.

There are only two chairs. Niall blinks at them for a second, and Harry starts standing up politely just as Cooper says, “It’s alright. Here.”

He pats his knee.

Niall goggles at him, and Cooper arches an eyebrow.

Harry’s sucking hard on the blunt and doesn’t look at them.

Niall perches gingerly on the end of one of Cooper’s thighs, his neck going red.

"Here," Harry says, voice rough from smoke, handing over the joint. Niall takes it, and Cooper pulls him backward with a hand around his waist, Niall choking in surprise when he lands solidly in Cooper’s lap, back pressed to his chest.

He can feel Cooper’s hand on his belly, and the weight of his dick pressing into Niall’s arse, and it’s so familiar Niall wriggles a little.

Cooper holds the lighter up to the end of the blunt and says in Niall’s ear, very softly- “It’s chill. He’s chill.”

Niall’s pretty sure he knows more than Cooper the relative chill levels of his bandmates - after all, Cooper’s known Harry for all of five minutes and Harry doesn’t even remember his name. He doesn’t argue, though. Just sucks on the spit-damp end of the blunt and exhales slowly, hands it back to Cooper.

Harry’s watching him quietly. Niall tries not to look. _I know it’s weird_ , he thinks. _Just pretend it’s normal. Just pretend like I do this all the time_.

Cooper leans over to pass the joint back to Harry, tightening his arm around Niall’s waist as he does. He straightens back up.

"You said," he says into Niall’s ear. "However I want it tonight. I want it like this."

That’s not what Niall meant. He meant _sex_. He meant being pushed down into the bed and fucked hard. Not this - queasy weirdness, of touching in front of Harry, casual and close like they’re dating. Niall’s half hard and there’s not even a hand on him. It’s like a constant prickle, the attention, the knowledge that Harry can just - see what’s going on. Suss it out. 

He doesn’t say anything, but he relaxes a little, and Cooper lets out a breath like it was an answer, pats Niall’s stomach a few times.

They smoke in silence until the joint burns Niall’s fingers and he drops it on the concrete floor of the balcony.

"So," Harry says into the silence. Niall has his eyes closed, his head tipped back on Cooper’s shoulder. It feels damn good. He’s not even mad about not getting off anymore. This is nice, the whole lap-sitting thing. He gets why girls like it.

"So," Niall says back. Cooper kisses the top of his head, rubbing his belly gently.

"Did I, um, did I cockblock you, when I showed up earlier?" Harry asks sheepishly.

There’s a silence - Niall calculating how easily he could lie about it, what they could make up - and then he chokes out a helpless laugh. Cooper snorts.

"You’re an idiot," Niall says, and then, swallowing hard and shutting his eyes to say it, "And- yeah. You kinda did."

"I didn’t mean to. I thought, like. I just didn’t know- anyway. Sorry. I’m an idiot."

"S’not news to me."

"Do you want me to, like - go?"

Harry’s voice quavers, and Niall turns his head to look at him. Harry’s watching them with his eyes dark.

"You want to go?" Cooper says, surprising Niall into dropping his gaze.

"I- I mean." Harry bites his bottom lip. "I dunno."

Niall sits up, head spinning. “What’s that mean, I dunno? What are you- Coop, what’re you doing.”

Cooper pulls him back down gently. “He’s cool, man.”

"What the fuck does that-"

He’s cut off by Cooper turning his head with one hand, kissing his mouth. Niall breaks away, heart thudding.

"Coop."

"If you want me to leave, I’ll leave," Harry interrupts. He’s sitting forward in his chair, watching them. "But, like. We could. You know."

Niall stares at him. Harry raises an eyebrow.

"Lemme watch or summat, I dunno," he says quickly, and then, contritely- "Please?"

Niall shakes his head disbelievingly. “You’re mental. And _straight._ ”

"Hey, I hooked up with Nick that one time," Harry says, all offended like it’s an insult to be called hetero.

Niall scoffs, his heart still pounding in his chest. “That wasn’t a real thing. You were both pissed.”

"Then, like, let me do a real thing," Harry says softly. "Now."

Niall stares at him, until Cooper slips a hand onto his neck, pulls him back into another long, soft kiss. Niall doesn’t pull away this time. He’s hyper-conscious of it, though, Harry’s dark steady gaze. Watching Niall kiss a boy. No one’s ever seen him kiss a boy.

Cooper puts his hand on the inside of his thigh, breaks off from the kiss. Niall licks his lips.

"You wanna try, bro?" Cooper says to Harry. Harry, who’s sitting on the edge of his seat, hunched over, hands clenched together.

"Try," Harry says, shortly. He’s looking at Niall’s mouth.

"Kissing him," Cooper says. "Or like, how gay are we going? You alright with that, kissing him?"

"Coop," Niall mutters, and Cooper gropes his thigh.

"Yeah, I’m alright with it," Harry murmurs, scooting his chair over to them. "You alright with it, Niall?"

Niall huffs a laugh. This is fucking mental.

Harry waits for an answer, flicking his eyes from Niall’s mouth to his eyes.

"Go on," Niall says. "It’s just kissing. We’ve kissed."

Harry smiles with half his mouth. It’s true - truth or dare, once when they were drunk, once in Mullingar when they were both kids and Harry wanted to practice using his tongue. Niall wanked over that one for a long time.

It’s not just kissing, though. Harry leans in, and Cooper spreads Niall’s legs easy as anything so Harry can fit between, and Harry presses their mouths together. It’s so- weird, the warm solidity of Cooper behind him, his breath in Niall’s ear, and then Harry in front of him, his soft full lips, tasting of weed smoke and mint. Niall’s high and vibrating from it, exhaling roughly into Harry’s mouth when Harry sucks on his tongue.

Harry pulls back after a long minute. His lips are swollen.

"S’nice," he says, licking his mouth. "Taste good."

"Does a lot of things good," Cooper says softly, and when Harry leans in to kiss him again, Cooper slides his hand onto the bulge of Niall’s dick between his legs.

Niall gasps into Harry’s mouth, breaking off again to focus on the way it feels, Cooper’s big hand feeling out the shape of him, squeezing. But Harry’s brow furrows and he leans in for another kiss, and the next time Cooper gropes him Harry won’t let him pull away. Niall moans into Harry’s mouth, muffled, as Cooper wanks him through the cotton of his briefs.

Harry pulls back, eyes dipping down to where Niall’s dick is tenting his shorts. He purses his lips thoughtfully.

Niall’s face flushes.

"Can we, um, take this inside?" Harry asks. "Not that I’m not- just. I think I strained my back leaning over."

"Old man," Niall laughs. Harry rolls his shoulders, joints popping, a wince on his face.

"Inside?" Cooper says in his ear, and Niall nods, turns his head for another kiss.

—-

Harry watches Niall get on his hands and knees, watches while Cooper fingers him open, rolls a condom on, presses inside. Nothing fancy. Demonstrative, almost, like he’s teaching Harry something.

The way Harry’s staring, slowly stroking himself - maybe it’s true.

Niall looks at Harry and his big hands and his pretty dick until he needs to drop his head because it feels too good.

"Baby," Cooper says, voice tight as he fucks him in hard short thrusts. "Maybe help Harry out, what d’you say?"

Niall shivers down his spine, mumbles something he meant to be “what”.

"Go on," Cooper says to Harry over Niall’s head. "Put it in his mouth. Keep him quiet."

Niall looks up just in time to see Harry’s eyes flash dark and hungry.

"Serious?"

Niall nods, shuddering at the idea, mouth watering. He’s never done that. 

Harry sinks down onto his knees on the bed, carefully puts a hand on the top of Niall’s head.

"Hey," he says, tipping Niall’s head up. "You, um- is this-"

"Fucking hell, Harry, c’mon," Niall says thickly.

Harry bites his lip, and slips his hand down to Niall’s jaw.

"Alright," he says, hooking his thumb inside Niall’s mouth. "Open- open your mouth."

Niall opens his mouth. Harry feeds him his dick slowly, gently, and it’s so- Niall almost panics, his breath catching hard in his throat, and then he relaxes and it’s so good. His arse and his mouth stuffed full. It kicks off some hot dirty feeling in Niall’s gut, and he groans loosely around Harry’s prick. He can feel spit on his chin, smell the hot salt of Harry’s skin and his precome, his hands combing through Niall’s hair.

"Fuck him," Cooper mutters, his thrusts speeding up. "But, like, careful."

Harry tries out a tentative thrust, stroking the bulge of his dick in Niall’s cheek, fingers soft and warm. Niall’s eyes fall shut and he sinks into it, loses himself for a while.

"What d’you want to do?" Cooper asks after he’s come, hitching Niall up by the hips, pulling out. Niall’s mouth slips off Harry’s cock, and he gasps for breath like he’s coming up from underwater.  

"Umm," Harry says, voice rough and low, still on his knees in front of Niall’s face, dick at eye-level, hard and wet from Niall’s mouth. "Can I fuck him? Niall, can I fuck you?"

Niall keeps his head down, but his neck goes hot.

"Yeah, you can fuck him," Cooper says, rubbing Niall’s lower back.

"Like, honestly, I think he was a little too distracted to, you know." Harry motions down at his dick. "No offense, Nialler."

"Ahh, really?" Cooper laughs. "Couldn’t focus enough to suck him off, baby?"

Harry cups Niall’s chin in both hands, gentle. Tilts Niall’s face upwards. Niall blinks blearily.

"It’s okay if I-"

"Yeah," Niall chokes out. His voice is hoarse. "Yeah."

Harry grins, pets his hair and lets go of his head. Niall can’t see him anymore, but he can feel it when Harry’s weight dips the bed next to his hip, and then his hands slide onto Niall’s hips, grip tight. One dick after the other, like it’s why Niall’s there. Niall swallows hard at the rush of warmth that sends through him.

"Done it before?" Cooper asks.

"To girls," Harry says. "Assuming it’s the same idea."

Cooper huffs a laugh. “Wouldn’t know.”

"Is that-" Harry says, low and focused. Niall feels a head of a dick press against his hole. He drops his head, reaches down to wank himself a few times, trying not to tighten up with queasy anticipation. "Is that alright?"

"Go slow," Cooper says. That must be his hand on Niall’s back, rubbing lightly. "See how he, like, opens?"

"Yeah," Harry murmurs, fascinated. "Fuck."

Niall’s arms are shaking. He tries to breathe, but it catches hard when he feels Harry’s dick pop past his rim. God yes. God. Once he’s opened up again it starts to feel good, that warm full feeling, a dull pleasurable ache inside him.

"Yeah," Cooper says. "All the way in now."

Harry groans slowly as he pushes in. “Fuck. He’s tight.”

"I know." Cooper sounds like he’s smiling. "Feels good, right? Always gets me off."

Harry chokes his assent. “You good?” he asks, patting his hand on Niall’s spine.

"Yeah," Niall mumbles. "Keep going."

It only hits him then, what’s happening. Harry’s fucking him. Harry and his big dick Niall’s only seen during quick backstage changes or in the wobbly light of underwater when Harry skinny-dips in a pool. Niall’s had that dick in his mouth and now in his arse.

Harry’s hands slide around his hips, and he rolls his hips, getting deeper. Niall huffs out a groan.

"Yeah," Cooper whispers. "No, keep fucking him like that. You ever made a girl come just from this?"

Harry’s voice is strained. “No.”

"He can."

Niall shakes his head, turns his head to the side. It terrifies him, imagining have to wait, having to come without any friction. “Not - no.”

Cooper pets the back of his neck. “Alright, bro. You don’t have to.”

"He can, though?" Harry chokes out, hips working deep. "You like it that much?"

Niall can’t say anything. His brain’s fizzing and Harry’s rocking his whole body with each thrust and he’s got to focus on holding on. Taking it.

Cooper pets the back of his head, and then scritches behind his ear, tugs Niall’s earlobe gently.

"You doin’ good, baby?"

Niall nods, and Cooper slides his hand down and around to grope at Niall’s naked cock, hard and leaking slick. Niall whimpers, tightens up around Harry.

"Sh-shit," he chokes out.

"He’s so fucking hard for you," Cooper says to Harry, jerking Niall once, twice. "He’s wet."

"Yeah?" Harry gasps.

"Fuck yeah."

Harry thrusts in hard, and Cooper slaps his arse hard like he knows what Niall needs. Niall slides forward helplessly, until his arse is up and his face is down and oh, Christ, maybe someday he won’t like this so much, but today isn’t that day. He moans into the bed, and Harry goes with it, driving down hard into him, grabbing his hips.

Niall can hear himself groaning with each breath, blissful, but he can’t stop. God, he gets the rumors now. He gets why girls do it. Why they give a shit. Harry’s got such a nice cock and he’s so- fucking - good at using it.

Cooper’s holding his neck, like he did last week when Niall asked for it. Holding him down and rubbing his back with his other hand.

"Coop," Niall gasps, forcing out the words against the mattress. "T-touch me. C’mon."

Harry’s still fucking him in those big show-off thrusts, deep in and deep out every time, nailing Niall’s prostate perfectly.

"Coop!" Niall chokes. Cooper lets go of his neck and wriggles a hand under Niall’s hip to rub, press at his throbbing dick, and that’s- that’s all it takes, Niall spurts, whining, biting down into matted sheets.

Harry keeps fucking him, slows down when he realizes Niall’s come.

"Should I, uh-"

"You close?" Cooper asks.

Harry breathes out hard. “Y-yeah. Yeah.”

"Keep going," Cooper says, and Niall shivers in delight at it, both of them deciding what to do. "He don’t mind it."

"He likes it," Harry decides, rubbing his thumb over the top of Niall’s arse and trying out a tentative thrust that makes Niall’s breath catch.

"Yeaah," Cooper says softly. "He sure does."

Harry wasn’t lying about being close. He comes after another two minutes, quietly, a low controlled huff of air that doesn’t give anything away. Niall knows he likes it, though. He can feel Harry’s dick twitching inside him, nutting off for a long time. Harry pulls out right after he finishes, his breath fast and harsh.

Cooper’s sat on the bed with one knee up, rubbing his half-hard prick with one hand, watching them. Niall lifts his head, peers at him, and Cooper grins.

"You look good together," he says. "Like you fit."  

"We fit," Harry says, giggly, and Niall remembers suddenly, that interview months ago when Harry had said, cheekily, _little spoon_ , and everyone had fallen over laughing. Niall huffs out a tired laugh, flops onto his side. He feels weary, body sore and stretched.

Harry’s face appears in front of him, hair hanging in his eyes.

"You alive?"

Niall nods, and Harry presses a kiss to his temple.

"You’re quiet after sex," he observes, running his hand down the side of Niall’s face. "I didn’t think that."

"You’ve thought about it, huh?" Niall makes himself say. It’s true, if it’s the right kind of sex. The way Cooper does it, takes control, lets Niall enjoy it without second-guessing anything, leaves him worn-out. That way makes him quiet.

Harry scrunches his nose at him, and flops down onto the bed. Cooper slides down next to them, and then they’re all lying there, side by side, Niall in the middle.

God, life is weird. They’ve only been on tour for a week and Niall’s had _sex_ with _Harry_. Maybe he’s just stoned, but the thought makes him laugh. It’s just - he’s been building it up in his head for so many years, and now it’s - done. Maybe it’s something in the water, in Australia. Turns ‘em all bent. Niall should try it out on Zayn next.

"What’s so funny?" Harry asks, while Cooper just smiles at him, stroking his hair.

"Nothing," Niall says. "Just. It’s just weird. You’re straight."

"Am I?" Harry says thoughtfully. "I dunno. I like girls. You’re really fit, though."

Niall chokes out another laugh.

"Maybe you’re just open-minded," Cooper suggests, and Niall can practically hear Harry preening.

"Yeah, that’s probably it," he says with a smug sigh. "I mean, it’s all just bodies, you know? Friction."

Niall laughs, and Cooper laughs back.

"He’s kinda fuckin’ mental," Cooper stage-whispers.

"Yeah."

"Heyyyyy."

Niall snorts, closes his eyes. Sinks into sleep just like that.

\---

He wakes up to a pounding on the door, loud and incessant. He sits up fast.

"Coop!" a voice yells. "Our train leaves in twenty minutes! You better be dressed!"

Niall curses under his breath. Cooper scrubs a hand over his face, rolls out of bed, naked. 

"I was gonna set an alarm," he says, throwing things into his bag.

"Sorry, I should’ve-"

"Not your fault."

Niall glances down at Harry, still asleep, hair falling over his face and a pillow hugged to his chest. Harry’s pretty when he sleeps. He’s pretty when he does most anything. If Niall hadn’t learned to deal with pretty people by now, he’d be screwed.

He hears the sink running, and then Cooper ducks out of the toilet, toeing into his flip-flops.

"Coop!" Jack calls.

"I’m coming!" Cooper yells back. "Chill!"

Niall tucks his knees up to his chest, scooting back to sit against the headboard, yawning. He watches Cooper throw a shirt on, grab his sunnies, his wallet, tucking it in the back pocket of his shorts.

"Uh," Niall says. He bites his bottom lip. "So. See ya, I guess."

Cooper puts his bag down, comes to sit on the edge of the bed. Puts his arm around Niall’s neck, kisses him. Niall kisses back, slow, open-mouthed, still drowsy.

Cooper pulls back, thumbing at Niall’s bottom lip, his forehead furrowed.

"I- I don’t usually, you know, fuck around with blokes who aren’t out," he says softly.

Niall’s the least out a person can be. Niall’s the opposite of out. He knows that.

"Yeah, sorry," he says, voice thick. He clears his throat, and Cooper pulls him back in, kisses his mouth.

"Fuck, bro," Cooper says, with feeling, and Niall nods vehemently. He knows. Cooper pulls Niall’s head into his chest for a minute. Niall gulps in a breath.

"Be, like, careful," Cooper murmurs. "And ring me when you’re back in Melbourne or whatever. Aus in general. Well, not if you’re west. Not going over there even for you."

Niall nods, Cooper’s hand on his back, rubbing up and down. He places a kiss on Niall’s temple, sweeps his hair back from his face. Niall swallows hard. It’s just gonna be so- long. Like. A long time.

"Coooooop," Jack moans, muffled through the door. "The car’s outside, c’mon."

"Coming!" Coop yells. He ducks back in to press a kiss to Niall’s mouth. "I’ll see you."

"Thanks for- um. The week. Last week, I mean. Last night too. Just. Thanks."

"Thank you, idiot," Cooper says fondly. "Putting me up for all that time."

"Yeah, mate, no problem."

Cooper ruffles his hair. Kisses him one more time, like he can’t stop.

"Alright," he says. "Jack’s gonna fuckin’ kill me."

"Go," Niall laughs.

Cooper nods, standing up, slinging his bag over one broad shoulder.

"See you," Niall says, hugging his knees tighter.

"See you." Cooper turns to look at him, sunglasses up on his head. "Shit. Ring me or something. Yeah?"

Niall nods. He’s probably not going to, but it’s- it means something, right, that Coop would even want him to.

"Alright. I’ll - alright. Bye. Go back to sleep, it’s early." Cooper’s mouth is tight, and he ducks out of the room, door swinging shut behind him.

Niall lets out a breath he didn’t know he was holding, and puts his legs back under the covers, crawling down into bed.

It’s not until he’s situated on his side facing Harry that he realizes Harry’s eyes are open. He startles.

"Jesus, Haz."

"Hey," Harry says slowly.

"How long have you been awake?"

"Um," Harry murmurs. "Like. A half hour?"

"A half- did you pretend to be asleep?"

"I wanted to give you your privacy," Harry says, eyes fluttering shut. He yawns, mouth mashing against the pillow in front of him.

Niall huffs out a rough laugh. Of course he did.

He wrestles the pillow out of Harry’s grasp and sticks it under his head. Harry pouts.

Niall shuts his eyes.

"Niall," Harry says, a minute or so later, when Niall’s already drifting off.

"Yeah."

"This is like- this is a real thing, isn’t it?"

Niall opens his eyes. “Huh?”

"You," Harry says. "Liking blokes."

Niall stares at him. Harry just blinks, unbothered.

"Real?" Niall asks.

"Like, I just fucked around with Nick cos it was fun and I love him, but it wasn’t serious. And last night was- it was fun, like, but- it doesn’t mean I really- I mean. Obviously I know sexuality isn’t like black or white, and I’m not bothered, at _all_ , but I just-”

"Haz," Niall interrupts, gritting his teeth. "Are we talking about you or me?"

Harry stops.

"You," he says. "Do you, um. Do you like girls?"

Niall closes his eyes again.

"Niall."

"Mate," Niall says, making his voice easy and light. "Let’s not talk about something that doesn’t matter."

"I think it matters," Harry says darkly. "If you- if you, you know, told people, you wouldn’t have to-"

"Shut up, Haz."

"I’m not going to say anything. That’s not what I’m- you know that, right? I wouldn’t say anything."

"Okay, great," Niall says sharply. "Can you let me sleep?"

There’s a pause.

"Alright," Harry says quietly. He reaches out, squeezes Niall’s shoulder. "Good night."

It’s seven in the morning, not night, and Harry’s an idiot, but Niall murmurs it back anyway before he passes out.

 


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> written before zayn quit the band but after he left tour for his stress break so it doesn't reflect his actual decision to leave 1d. also written before we found out lou and eleanor broke up. hooooly shit just how fast the night changes amirite

They make it through Dubai, the four of them. Niall has a flight booked to Melbourne, eight hours after they leave the stage. Harry’s off to LA, Liam and Lou back to London after a few days.

"I’ll tell him hi for you," Louis says, sitting cross-legged on Niall’s bed while Niall throws shit into his case.

"Thanks." Niall rolls up a pair of jeans, nice and tight.

Louis makes an annoyed sound. “You could pretend to give a shit.”

Niall glances up at him. “Fuck off, Lou.”

"Ooh, feeling stroppy tonight, are we," Louis says, eyes narrowed.

Niall rolls his eyes. He’s reaching over Louis to fetch a wadded-up vest when Louis catches his arm and tugs hard.

"Hey," he says. "What’s bloody wrong with you, mate? This is happening. We’re - shit’s, shit’s happening. Don’t go all robot on me."

"I’m not a _fucking_ robot,” Niall says tightly. That’s Louis’ favorite dig to whip out, when Niall’s not having the reaction Louis wants him to.

"You should be freaking out. Having a bloody panic attack about this whole mess. Not jetting off to your bleeding boyfriend like you don’t-"

"You want me to have a panic attack?" Niall asks, huffing out a choked laugh. "That’s real nice, Lou."

Louis digs his fingers into Niall’s arm, mean and steady. “What, so you’re done with us?”

Niall looks at him, peels Louis’ fingers off his arm. His stomach’s shaking.

"I’m not done with anything," he says, slowly. "Except this leg of tour. I’ll see you in London in May, Lou, don’t overreact."

"You know this isn’t like normal," Louis says. His eyes are bright and fierce. "You know things are fucked. You’re supposed to - to-"

"To what? Save the bloody band?"

"Care," Louis hisses. "You’re supposed to care the most."

Niall stares at him for a long minute. Louis’ hair is sticking up, stiff with gel, and his cheeks are flushed. He went for a wee during the show, and he was gone for half of Kiss You, and for a dizzy moment Niall thought Louis wasn’t coming back.

He did, though. He came back.

"Maybe I’m fuckin’ tired of caring the most," Niall says, voice heavy, and Louis flinches like he’s been slapped. He looks down.

"This is exactly fucking like you," he says, mean and dirty. Niall braces himself. He knew exactly how saying that would make Louis react, and he did it anyway, and that’s the thing that’s changed. Niall doesn’t care enough to keep everything - going. Running smoothly. To oil the rusty machine that is Louis Tomlinson’s ego.

Niall laughs, even though his throat is burning. “How’s it like me?”

"Running away when things get messy," Louis says. Niall starts folding his t-shirts, ignoring the wobble in his hands. "Running off to fucking Melbourne to get fucked by your precious Connor-"

"It’s _Cooper_ , you arsehole, and I’m not-”

"You know, we have to deal with real shit," Louis snaps. "Me and Zayn and Liam. Real relationships. Cos we’ve actually got the balls to tell everyone who we’re with."

Niall chokes on his own spit, coughs furiously. Shit, maybe he will have a panic attack after all.

"We have to deal with the band _and_ the girls, you’ve got no idea what that’s like. What, are you angry with Zayn? You think I’m not fucking angry with him? You see me running away?”

There’s a silence. Niall’s shaking with rage, and he exhales loudly to mask it, starts shoving pairs of pants into the side compartment of his suitcase.

"Is this because you can’t come out?" Louis asks. "You’re sick of, what, singing songs about girls, so you’d rather go fuck around in Australia instead of-"

"Fuck you," Niall spits, twisting around to face Louis. "Fuck you. I - I keep everything fucking quiet because I - because I care about this whole thing. About us."

"Then _act_ like it,” Louis says. His eyes are burning. “Come back to London. Get Zayn’s head together before Europe. Don’t fuck off like Harry.”

"Nothing I say is gonna change Zayn’s mind."

"That’s such bullshit. So you won’t even try?"

Niall swallows hard. He turns back to his suitcase.

"I have to catch a flight," he says.  

"You’re fucking kidding me."

"I’m only going for a bit, alright? I could come back to London early-"

Louis stands up from the bed, and for a split second Niall thinks he’s going to hit him. It’s irrational - Louis’ never hit him, not really, nothing more than a joking smack or an accidental punch when they’re wrestling for the remote.

But Niall flinches anyway.

"Have fun," Louis says, sounding coolly furious.

Niall doesn’t turn around. His heart’s pounding.

"Guess I’ll let you know, then," Louis says. "Y’know, if we’ll have to cancel the rest of the tour. Hope you can drag yourself away from Connor’s dick long enough to answer your phone."

Niall lets out a choked breath, and the hotel door slams shut.

\---

He takes a cab straight to Deo’s once he’s landed. Deo takes one look at him and says, “Shit, mate. Dunno if you need to get blackout pissed or sleep for twelve hours.”

"I can’t sleep," Niall says, because it’s true, he can’t. He didn’t sleep before his flight, and he didn’t sleep on the plane, and his limbs feels wobbly and shaky, his eyes burning.

"Pissed it is then." Deo pulls him into a hug, slaps his back a few times. "Let’s do it."

They pregame for a while, matching each other shot for shot as Deo babbles about work, and then Deo looks up from his phone and says, “Cab’s outside, mate. You sure you’re up for it? You look close to death, to be honest.”

"Up for it," Niall says, gulping the last of the beer he’s been using as a chaser. His skin’s quivering and he should probably just turn in, lie down, let his body rest.

But fuck that.

"Alright," Deo says doubtfully. "Let’s go, then."

They end up in a booth at a bar Niall’s never been to before. Jack shows up, two of his rugby bros in tow, leans down over the back of the seat to kiss Niall’s forehead.

"How’s the Irishman," he asks, ruffling Niall’s hair.

"Good," Niall says. His voice comes out thick. "Where’s Coop?"

It should make him blush, asking so blatantly. But he’s wasted, his belly warm, and he wants to see Cooper. He needs to see him.

"Working," Jack calls, over the music. "Might swing by later."

"Tell him I’m here."

Jack huffs a laugh, pats Niall’s chest with one big hand. “Yeah, I’ll do that.”

Niall settles back in his seat, and steals Deo’s glass of whiskey.

"You need to slow the fuck down, mate," Deo says, tugging the glass out of Niall’s hand. "Don’t think you want to get papped being sick in the street."

"Sod off." Niall grabs it back and takes a gulp.

"What’s with you?"

"Nothing’s fucking with me," Niall says hotly.

"You’re like, stressed," Deo says. "Jetlagged, probably. I can get a car back to my place if you want-"

Niall’s chest tightens, and he coughs, hard, takes another sip of whiskey. “I’m fine. Stop worrying.”

"You sure?"

"Deo, Jesus bloody Christ. I’m fine. Here, I got next round. Another whiskey?"

"I’ll just get a water."

Niall rolls his eyes, and wriggles out of the booth to fetch them.

He’s at the bar when his phone vibrates against his arse, and he fumbles for it, draining the last of Deo’s whiskey.

It’s Cooper.

_You in melb?_

Niall grins at the screen.

_Yeah_ , he types. “Two whiskeys and a water, please,” he says to the bartender, and the bartender says back, eyes widening, “Holy shit, you’re from that boyband, aren’t you-”

Niall hears it like he’s underwater, her voice far away and tinny. He smiles politely until she turns away, and then stares down at his phone again.

_Yeah. at a pub where are yoU? Jacks here_

He drops some money on the bartop, carries the drinks back, sloshing booze onto the floor with each step. Whoops.

"I said I didn’t want another - alright, mate, okay, yeah, get right in there, bastard," Deo grumbles, as Niall climbs clumsily over him to get back into the booth. Niall pulls his drink close, slurps at it.

His phone buzzes again.

_Fuck im stuck here finishing this project. how long you in town?_

Niall’s jaw clenches, and he reaches blindly for his drink, nearly knocks over Deo’s bottle of water.

He takes a gulp and types - _Can i come to where you r?_

Deo yanks the phone out of his hand and scrolls through the texts.

"Serious, mate?"

"Gimme the fuckin’ phone," Niall slurs, grabbing for the phone.

"You’re way too drunk to go anywhere except bed, bro. _Alone_. Not with Coop.”

"I’m not that drunk."

"Yes, you are."

A message pops up from Cooper, and Deo swipes it open. He reads it, and then starts typing, and-

"Give that back, y’fucking cunt," Niall snaps, wrestling the phone out of Deo’s hand.

He erases Deo’s half-finished message - _Coop its Deo Niall’s trashed and needs_ \- and scrolls up. Cooper’s written an address, and then:

_Call if you decide to come Ill let you in._

Niall’s knee starts jiggling under the table, and Deo looks at him, lets out a defeated sigh.

"Ring me when you get there, mate. And don’t be an idiot."

\---

Niall makes it into a cab, sits there with his head spinning. It feels like hours until the car slows to a stop, but when Niall checks his phone it’s only been twenty minutes. Weird.

He staggers out onto a dark street. He was expecting Cooper’s house, the one he shares with Jack and two of their mates, but instead he’s in front of an office building, ten stories or so, tall grey concrete.

He puts the phone to his ear.

"Yeah," Cooper says, after a few rings.

"It’s me. Niall."

"Hey, mate, you alright? Deo texted me-"

Fucking nosy-arse. Niall grits his teeth.

"I’m fine," he says, balancing himself on the wall of the building. "I’m outside. Lemme in."

"You’re outside where?"

"The bloody address you gave me, Coop."

"Oh- shit. Sorry, I’m like so scattered. Stay put, alright? Be careful."

"There’s no one out here," Niall scoffs. The line goes dead, and Niall puts his forehead against the cool brick, shuts his eyes.

He wakes to a door opening, and then Cooper’s peering outside, light spilling out into the dark street.

"Niall," he calls. "It’ll lock behind me, c’mere."

Niall’s head feels heavy. He staggers back from the wall, makes his way towards the door. Cooper holds it open for him, and then drops it quickly when Niall trips over the carpet and stumbles back against Cooper’s chest.

"Shit," Cooper breathes, balancing Niall with a hand on his shoulder. "You’re fucking gone, bro."

"I’m fine," Niall mumbles.

"Deo said you two’ve been drinking since five."

"It’s only like half nine."

Cooper huffs a laugh. “Baby, it’s 11:30.”

Niall blinks dazedly. “Really?”

"Yeah, really." Cooper puts an arm around Niall’s shoulders to guide him into an elevator. Niall puts his face into Cooper’s chest so he doesn’t have to see the elevator go up. He feels it, though, the swoop in his belly.

He inhales deep. Cooper smells familiar, like laundry detergent, Tom Ford cologne. Niall’s head hurts.

"C’n I have some water?"

"Yeah, babe," Cooper says quietly. "When we get up to my office."

"Office," Niall repeats. He mashes his face into Cooper’s firm chest again, and Cooper huffs out a laugh that Niall can feel, strokes his hand down Niall’s back.

"You’re gonna be fun, aren’t you," he says, sounding fond. "How close are you to puking?"

Niall wants to say, _I’m not gonna puke, you idiot_ , but all that comes out is a moan.  

"Close, then," Cooper murmurs, as the elevator dings, doors sliding open with a rusty screech. "Let’s get to the bathroom."

Niall doesn’t puke. He does cough a few times, on his knees in front of the toilet, while Cooper fills a glass of water and stands above him, strokes his head a few times, his hand warm and careful in Niall’s hair.

"Anything coming up?"

Niall shakes his head miserably. He hasn’t had _that_ much to drink, it’s just - he hasn’t slept since before their last concert, he’s dehydrated, he’s tense. His life’s falling apart and his best friends fucking hate him and-

"Shit," Cooper breathes, when Niall chokes out a sob, his back heaving. "Oh, shit, Niall."

He drops to his knees on the tile floor, tugs Niall towards him until Niall’s face is in his chest.

"Baby," he says, voice low. "What’s going on, why’re you-"

Niall sobs again, into the soft cotton of Cooper’s t-shirt. It’s been so long since he cried, properly cried. God, he’s so bloody tired.

Cooper puts his arms around Niall.

"Shh, sh-sh," he mumbles. "Shh. It’s alright. You’re alright."

Niall shakes his head. He’s not fucking alright.

"Shh," Cooper repeats. "Shhh."

He draws back, and Niall scrubs his palm over his face.

"Water?" he croaks.

"Shit. Yeah. Here, here, lemme get a cup." Cooper stumbles upright and out of the bathroom.

Niall draws in a long breath, wobbles down to sit on his arse on the floor, his knee aching. He pushes himself back against the wall, tips his head back. There’s a steady throb at the base of his neck.

The night before Zayn left, they met in his hotel room in Hong Kong, all five of them, the way they hadn’t since - a while. Zayn sat in the center, propped against the headboard like he was on trial. Harry was on the floor, thumbing through his phone. Liam and Louis on the sofa, with matching expressions of tense concern. Niall sat cross-legged on the bed at Zayn’s feet, a pit in his stomach. His knee was jiggling restlessly until Zayn tapped his bare foot against it, gave him a stern look.

Fucking shit, Niall misses him. He covers his face with one hand, hears Cooper’s footsteps, the door swinging open, the sink turning on.

"Here," Cooper says, crouching down next to Niall.

Niall takes a sip of cool water, his throat aching as he swallows.

"Sorry," he mutters.

"It’s alright."

Niall tucks one knee up to his chest, takes another slow mouthful of water.

Cooper takes a breath like he’s about to say something serious, and Niall cuts him off before he can.

"Why’re you at work at midnight on a Friday?"

Cooper lets out a gust of breath. “Ahh. We got this new account this week, and I’m the lead, and this bloke at the main agency didn’t email me details til eight, so- fuck, never mind, it’s boring.”

"Is anyone else here?"

Cooper shakes his head, sighing again. “Think the last guy tapped out at, like, ten. My computer’s being a shit, Adobe’s like not working. Etcetera. More boring shit.”

"It’s not boring," Niall says. "Well-"

"Well, s’kinda boring," Cooper finishes for him, laughing, and Niall gulps out a laugh, sips his water again. Cooper’s eyes crinkle, and he leans forward to brush his thumb over Niall’s cheek.

"Enough about me," he says, wiping the other cheek. His thumb comes away wet. "Are you alright?"

Niall swallows hard. He doesn’t know what the fuck to say, so he shakes his head.

"Why not?"

There’s a long quiet. Niall tips the water glass up to his mouth, swallows.

"Feels like we’re falling apart," he says eventually. It’s so bloody terrifying to hear it out loud. "The - the band."

Cooper peers at him. “Why’s that?”

"Zayn- you’ve - you’ve heard about Zayn. He’s still - I dunno, resting, at home, he’s still. Resting." Niall shuts his eyes, scrubs at them with his fingers and opens them again.

"Alright."

"I dunno, _fuck_ ,” Niall mutters. “He’s sick of it. I’m- I’m sick of it sometimes. Not, like - God. I just don’t know what the fuck I want. And if it even matters. I don’t know what to _do_.”

His voice breaks and he gulps the rest of the water.

"Louis said I don’t care about the band cos I’m sick of being in the closet," he says, voice thick. "Like I’m trying to sabotage things."

Cooper’s brows furrow. “That’s a shitty thing to say.”

"Yeah, well." Niall puts his face into the crook of his elbow and lets out a breath.

"What’d you say back?"

Niall laughs sourly. “Nothing. I never fucking say anything.”

Cooper shrugs with one shoulder, watching him.

"I’m so - I’m so bloody knackered, mate. I’m sorry." Niall’s voice cracks again.

"Yeah, can see that," Cooper says quietly. "How ‘bout I pack up, give you a ride back to Deo’s?"

Niall looks at him. Cooper’s warm worried face. Niall missed him bad, the past few months on tour. It surprised him, a bit, how much he missed him. Maybe Louis’ right, about Niall. That he’s selfish. That he wants things he can’t have, and doesn’t want the ones he should.

"Can I go back to yours?" he asks.

Cooper’s quiet for a minute.

"Yeah," he says. "You sure?"

Niall nods.

"Yeah," Cooper repeats. "Let me just grab my things. You can, like - you don’t have to sit on the floor to wait."

He huffs a laugh, tugs Niall to his feet, and Niall reaches up, presses a kiss against the side of Cooper’s mouth. It takes his breath away, doing it so casually, easily. Feeling Cooper’s hand settle at the small of his back.

Cooper pulls away, running a palm through his hair. “You need to sleep.”

"I missed you," Niall blurts out.

Cooper blinks at him, and then leans in again, cupping Niall’s jaw with one hand. Gives him a slow lingering kiss, one Niall feels right in the bottom of his stomach, quivering and warm.  

"I’ll be right back," Cooper says, against Niall’s cheek, and Niall nods.

Cooper drives, one hand on the wheel, the radio murmuring low, and Niall pulls out his phone.

_Going to coops i’m fine_ , he types to Deo, and then he scrolls down, to the last text he has from Zayn. It was in Osaka. _Come to mine for sushi I got loads!_ Niall had written, and Zayn had replied _I’m sleepy bring me some !! :P_

Niall stares at it, and then types something out with wobbly hands.

_Rlly fucking miss you_

He swallows hard, and deletes it. No use, is there.

\---

Niall wakes up early, peers blearily around Cooper’s bedroom, and then stumbles into the toilet to dry heave a couple times. Nothing comes up again, but he rinses his mouth with water anyway, wipes at his watery eyes.

He steps back out into the narrow hallway of Cooper’s flat. He can hear the low hum of music in a room down the hall - Jack’s maybe, or one of their other flatmates. His phone says it’s half-nine, and Niall eases open Cooper’s door again, tiptoes inside.

He’s never actually seen Cooper’s room. It’s surprisingly neat, all nicely-hung button-downs and trousers in the closet, only one crumpled jersey thrown across his chair. There’s a load of rugby and footy trophies on Cooper’s desk, a shiny MacBook, some speakers. A photo of him and Jack when they were little, matching grins on their faces, bowties on. A framed one of Cooper with his arm around his mum.

Niall looks at that one for a while. He’s never met Cooper’s mum. She’s small and dark-haired, with bright squinty eyes like Coop and Jack.

Niall sets it down and pokes at the stack of mail on Cooper’s dresser. Letters and paychecks and an Adidas ad. A birthday card from his nan. 

"Morning," he hears, and he wheels around guiltily. Cooper’s sitting up in bed, eyes crinkled shut, big shoulders hunched tiredly.

"Hey."

"Hey," Cooper says back, mouth curving up in a sleepy smile. "Come back to bed."

Niall feels - watched, in a way that makes him warm all over. He’s only in his briefs and the t-shirt he was wearing last night, and he reaches down to tug it off as he crawls back into bed.

"Mm, morning," Cooper murmurs, tugging Niall down til Niall’s sprawled half on top of him, half-hard prick pressing into Cooper’s firm belly. Niall rolls his hips, sighs.

"Morning," Niall says back, before Cooper’s fingers slide down the back of his briefs and he shudders so hard he can’t speak. "Nngh."

"Yeah," Cooper mutters, playing with Niall’s arse. He squeezes one arse cheek,  fingers digging in, and Niall rolls his hips forward again. "You feelin’ alright? Hungover?"

Niall shakes his head, and scoots up Cooper’s body til his arse is pressed flush against Cooper’s prick, hard in his pants. Niall grinds down and Cooper groans. It’s making Niall fucking shake, to get to do this again.

"God, fuck," Cooper says, low and hoarse. "Your arse."

"Got condoms?" Niall asks, licking his lips, throat dry.

Cooper slides big hands onto Niall’s hips, sets Niall’s arse more firmly against his cock, and Niall has to stifle a pleased sound, feeling Cooper drag between his cheeks through the layers of cotton.

"Yea-ah," Cooper mutters. "In, uh, my- Nightstand. Yeah, _fuck_ , that’s good.”

Niall lifts his hips and Cooper groans, bereft.

"Getting the bloody condoms, idiot," Niall says, a sudden hysterical laugh caught in his throat. He climbs over Cooper’s body to reach, comes up with a mostly-full bottle of lube and a foil packet. “Patience.”

"Here, like," Cooper says, moving back against the headboard. "In my lap."

Niall looks up from the condom packet, his neck flushing a hot red. Cooper grins, and then laughs when Niall can’t get the condom open, fumbles it out of his fingers.

"Jesus," he says, fond and low. "Fucking useless, you are."

Niall shoves his leg, and crawls into his lap.

They fuck slow and almost careful, Cooper rubbing Niall’s back as Niall rides his dick. Niall forgets. He always fucking forgets how good it is. Especially riding, cos he’s always up for being shagged on his back or his hands and knees, loves the way it feels like being taken over.

But this. Easy rolls of his hips while he sits in Cooper’s lap, stuffed full of dick, letting Cooper’s hands on his hips guide him til the pleasure goes sharp and hot. God, he loves this too.

"God," Cooper groans out against his ear. He tugs at Niall’s earlobe with his teeth, then kisses the skin, and Niall gives a long twitch of pleasure down his spine, tightening up on the dick inside him. "Feel so good, babe."

Niall’s head falls back when Cooper keeps on kissing his ear and his neck, tongue slick and hot. Cooper moves one hand up to his nipple, sliding a thumb over the tight nub of it, and Niall can’t help the whimper that comes out of his mouth.

"God, fuck - fuck, Coop, I’ll come," he mumbles, eyes squeezing shut. Cooper’s cock in him and two fingers pulling at Niall’s nipple and that mouth on his _neck_ , it’s too much, Niall’s so easy for it.

"Go on," Cooper murmurs, running his thumbnail over Niall’s nipple and then reaching down to take his cock in hand. "C’mon, come on me."

Niall’s arms are around Cooper’s neck, and his fingers dig helplessly into Cooper’s back, the thick muscle and soft skin. He groans, lifting his hips up and dropping back down so it hits him right where he wants it.

"That’s so f-fucking good," Cooper grunts. "C’mon, baby-"

Niall chokes and comes, mouth opening against the warm skin of Cooper’s shoulder as he spurts between them. Cooper pulls him through it, still kissing his ear, breathing hard.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah," Niall gasps back, before Cooper takes him by the hips and lifts Niall off his cock, lies him out flat on his back. Niall spreads his legs in anticipation, feeling himself clench down, ready, and Cooper just reaches out, pushes Niall’s thigh flat against the bed, stares at him.

"Can I come on you?" he says, thick and hoarse.

Niall nods, more frantically than he means to.

It only takes Cooper a minute once he strips off the condom and slips his hand around himself. He watches Niall the whole time, eyes dark and roaming from Niall’s chest to his belly to his splayed legs to the spent length of his dick, lying pink against his thigh.

"God, you’re so," Cooper chokes. "You’re so, you’re-"

He doesn’t finish the thought, and Niall watches him come, face twisting, mouth open and pink and gasping. He strokes it all out onto Niall’s belly and thighs, and Niall doesn’t know whether to stay still or to touch it so he - quivers for a second, and then reaches down to run a finger through the mess. Christ.

Cooper sits back on his haunches, dick starting to soften, thick and still flushed. He’s still breathing hard. 

"Shit, I’m glad you’re here," he mutters, surprisingly coherent for having just come.

Niall lets out a shaking breath, sticks a hand under his head.

"I mean, I’m not glad all this- shit’s going down," Cooper adds, sheepishly. "With your band. But fuck, Niall, I’m really fucking glad you’re here."

There’s come on Niall’s stomach and he and Cooper are shag-buddies and not a thing more, but Niall feels weak anyway. Wobbly and happy. He tugs a pillow over his face to hide it, drags his fingers through the jizz on his belly.

"Me too," he says, muffled. He thinks of Louis for a minute, his hard face, narrowed eyes. _Running away_ , Louis called it. It doesn’t feel like that. Niall’s not sure what it feels like exactly. He just knows it’s good.

 


End file.
